Design of earth‐abundant amorphous transition metal‐based catalysts for electrooxidation of small molecules: Advances and perspectives

Abstract Electrochemical oxidation of small molecules (e.g., water, urea, methanol, hydrazine, and glycerol) has gained growing scientific interest in the fields of electrochemical energy conversion/storage and environmental remediation. Designing cost‐effective catalysts for the electrooxidation of small molecules (ESM) is thus crucial for improving reaction efficiency. Recently, earth‐abundant amorphous transition metal (TM)‐based nanomaterials have aroused souring interest owing to their earth‐abundance, flexible structures, and excellent electrochemical activities. Hundreds of amorphous TM‐based nanomaterials have been designed and used as promising ESM catalysts. Herein, recent advances in the design of amorphous TM‐based ESM catalysts are comprehensively reviewed. The features (e.g., large specific surface area, flexible electronic structure, and facile structure reconstruction) of amorphous TM‐based ESM catalysts are first analyzed. Afterward, the design of various TM‐based catalysts with advanced strategies (e.g., nanostructure design, component regulation, heteroatom doping, and heterostructure construction) is fully scrutinized, and the catalysts’ structure‐performance correlation is emphasized. Future perspectives in the development of cost‐effective amorphous TM‐based catalysts are then outlined. This review is expected to provide practical strategies for the design of next‐generation amorphous electrocatalysts.